


TAKEN part 1

by Carrimimi



Series: Casualty of the Crown [1]
Category: Final Fantasy XV
Genre: Alternate Universe - Dark, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Hurt Noctis, Hurt Noctis Lucis Caelum, Hurt/Comfort, Kidnapping, M/M, Other, Poor Noctis Lucis Caelum, Psychological Torture, Rape/Non-con Elements, Sexual Violence, Torture, tortured Noctis Lucis Caelum
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-01-11
Updated: 2018-01-11
Packaged: 2019-03-03 12:52:28
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 16
Words: 17,848
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13341651
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Carrimimi/pseuds/Carrimimi
Summary: The first thing Noctis became aware of was a raging headache. He tried to open his eyes but whimpered from the pain that radiated down to his neck. He was cold. His mouth was dry. He felt woozy. Like he’d been drinking. He tried to turn over to adjust his discomfort but his limbs didn’t seem to be listening to his brain. Slowly he lost consciousness once again.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This is my first fanfic ever!!! Whoohoo!!!  
> All spelling and grammatical mistakes are my own and I take full ownership.  
>   
> If you bump into any mistakes, please let me know.  
> Comments are a heartfelt boost to keep on writing.
> 
> Kudos are a gift for my soul.
> 
> Please enjoy.  
> Tumblr@carrimimi

 

This is an intro of the main characters of my story, in case you do not follow Final Fantasy XV. All main characters belong to Square Enix. I do not take any credit for these. The other characters in my story are fictitious and do not represent anyone in real life! If you know the characters, you can skip this part and scroll down to chapter 1

 

Prince Noctis Lucis Caelum is a very ‘pretty’ 17-year-old boy. He is slight of build, with a delicate bone structure and soft facial features, which give him a youthful and effeminate look. He stands at just barely 5’9” stretched to his full height. Given his bad habit of slouching though, he appears much shorter. His thick black hair is layered, shoulder length, and always looks messy. Long feathered bangs try to hide his shining cerulean blue eyes framed by thick black lashes. He will be turning 18 in a couple off weeks, and Noctis’s father, King Regis, will be giving him the keys to his first car, the Star of Lucis. He is really looking forward to this.

Gladiolus Amicitia is Prince Noctis’s Sworn Shield, in other words, his bodyguard. He is a 21-year-old brute of a man standing at 6’6”, with lots of bulging and rippling muscles. He has dark brown hair and amber eyes. Scars cover his face and body where his large tattoos make little effort to hide them. He is quite a gentle guy though, and means well, but is usually a bit too blunt in his choice of words and phrases, which make him, sound sarcastic and uncaring. His job is to follow Prince Noctis everywhere, except his royal bedchambers! He is also charged with training the slight Prince in all combat forms. He gets easily frustrated with Noctis’s laziness and unwillingness to train hard. 

Ignis Scientia is 20 years old, and he is tremendously intelligent, having been in training as Royal Advisor to the Prince since a young age. He is also pretty tall at 6’ even, but looks short when standing next to Gladio. He has ash blond hair, which he likes to wear with his bangs spiked straight up.. He wears trendy glasses and speaks with an accent from Tenebrae. He has a lean and athletic frame, which he keeps well hidden under stylish outfits. He takes his Royal duties very seriously and has become sort of the designated ‘Caretaker’ of the group. 

Prompto Argentum is 17 years old and is the Prince’s first and only best friend! Since meeting in high school, they’ve become like inseparable opposite twins. Prompto has striking golden blond hair that he usually works hard at making look naturally messy. He is light skinned and has lots of freckles covering his face and shoulders. He is 5’8” and has a slender but muscular build. He is into photography and is rarely seen without his camera attached to the strap around his neck. He is the youngest of the group but will turn 18 in less than 2 months. He is also looking forward to having his first legal drink, and going out unsupervised with his best buddy, Noctis.

Growing up in the Citadel under constant supervision, Noctis liked to get out of Insomnia with his three friends to camp on the outskirts of the city and join in hunts so he and his friends could perfect their battle skills and techniques. His father allowed this to occur, knowing his son needed his freedom, and would allow him to feel a sense of responsibility that one can only get with real life experiences. The hunts also paid really well which gave them all their own pocket money and an appreciation for independence. Usually they camped at Havens that were high above the ground giving them protection against roving nigh time creatures. They always enjoyed these weekend jaunts, giving them something to talk about during the colder weather when it was less practical to camp outdoors.

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**CHAPTER 1 ******

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They had been out on one of their weekend hunts, and it had been a long grueling day. They had attempted three really long and draining hunts in one day. The first hunt went rather well, which encouraged them to continue on to the next without fully resting. The second and third hunts had kind of blended together as the creatures they sought happened to be close together. They were much more difficult than anticipated. It hadn’t help that Noctis was out of focus and therefor careless most of the time. He hadn’t been concentrating on any of his maneuvers that should have been ingrained in him by this point. Gladio had to come to his rescue on one too many occasions. Gladio was pretty fed up with Noctis’s attitude of not caring, so he began to torment him with relentless scornful insults!

Noctis was really pissed at Gladio and was on glaring terms with him. Giving him the evil eye every time they glanced at each other. Gladio in turn, muttered insults like: ‘Princess’, ‘baby’, ‘weakling’, and other such slights under his breath just loud enough for Noctis to hear. Even though he knew this was wrong, he was really fed up with the brat! This just added to the stress and tension that Noctis was already feeling. He was just so tired and sore. He just wanted to go somewhere quiet to sleep. Screw Gladio!

Ignis drove in silence while Prompto looked through the hundreds of pictures that he had taken that day with his camera. Ignis decided to stop at the next rest area in order to get some food before finding the nearest Haven to camp for the night, as it was already near evening of their second day away from Insomnia. They planned on heading back home tomorrow after getting a good night’s rest.

Finding a small Diner on the side of the road, Ignis pulled into the poorly lit parking lot situated at the back of the building. All four boys were dirty, exhausted and hungry. They climbed out of the car and walked around the building towards the front, to enter the Diner. They stopped in front to look at the listing of new hunts posted for that area and noted nothing of interest at moment. So they all ambled towards an empty booth. Gladio slipped in first in order to avoid sitting across from Noctis. Noctis sat next to Prompto, across from Ignis, giving an exasperated exhale full of disdain, aimed at Gladio. 

‘He’s being such a stupid jerk,’ thought Noctis. ‘I was paying attention. It just sucks that my back hurts so much today. It’s not like I purposely went and knocked myself out. I wasn’t about to let the others get hit. I had to get between Iggy and the Sabertusk. I wasn’t about to let him get hit in the back. And the 5th Coeurl? Crap, that one hurt like hell! It just jumped out of nowhere…it could’ve caused Prom a lot of harm, I mean like, really. I’m still sore, but he doesn’t even care about that though…’

Gladio kept giving Noctis glares until he couldn’t deal with it anymore. He got up from the table and Gladio made to get up also. 

“I’m just going to the damn washroom Gladio, you can practically see the door from where you’re sitting,” as he made his way to the back of the Diner. Gladio sat back down, mumbling something inaudible under his breath.

“Language your Highness,” said Ignis, giving Noctis a reproachful look as he passed by.

“So, yeah, that was, uh, awkward,” gulped Prompto. Gladio glared at Prompto, saying nothing. Prompto looked around the Diner, any excuse not to look at the larger man. He decided he wanted to live until he reached 18, at least.

“Oh man, check out the cute waitress with the red hair, she’s, like, totally checking me out!” smirked Prompto, to fill in the awkward silence. Both Ignis and Gladio turned around in their seats to take look. 

“Pftt, no way” growled Gladio, “she’s outta your league little guy, you gotta know that! If she’s looking at our table, then she’s looking for a man.”

“She is indeed a delightful looking creature, and it is rude to stare, I might add,” said Ignis, although still keeping his eye on the lovely lady in question. 

“Oh man,” squeaked Prompto, “she’s coming our way. How do I look? Is my hair okay?” 

*** * * * * * * * * * ******

********

********

Noctis made his way towards the back where the washrooms were situated. Just as he was pushing open the door to the men’s room, he heard a soft sob. Looking to his right down the hallway, he noticed a young boy against the wall, crying softly.

“Hey there little guy.” said Noctis as he slowly approached the child, not wanting to scare him. “What are those tears for?”

“I-I’m s-scared! I’m t-too scared to go out t-t-to the c-car. M-my D-dad’s waiting f-f-for m-me” I-I w-was s-supposed to b-be in and out. H-he’s g-gonna be s-s-o m-mad,” sniffled the little boy, as tears cascaded down his cheeks. 

“Hey, it’s ok, I’ll walk you out,” offered Noctis, tenderly. He took the child by the hand and began leading him towards the front of the Diner’s exit door.

“He’s out th-the b-back, and it’s t-too d-dark a-and I’m sc-scared,” said the boy, tugging Noctis towards the back end exit of the Diner.

‘What kind of dumb ass Father let’s his kid who’s probably like, eight, go into a Diner, much less the back way, all alone,’ thought Noctis angrily to himself.

Glancing over to let Gladio know that he was changing directions, he noticed that both Gladio and Ignis were looking over their shoulders towards the front of the Diner, engrossed in conversation. Figuring he’d be just out and then back in anyway, he decided to go ahead and lead the child out the back door. And yes it was pretty dark out by this time. Way too scary for a kid to go out in the parking lot on his own. 

“So where’s your Dad’s car?” asked Noctis.

“Uhm…I s-see it, back there,” the child said, pointing towards a small yellow car parked next to the Regalia. Walking the length of the parking lot with the child in tow, Noctis coughed to get the attention of the driver. The man looked around and seeing Noctis holding his son’s hand, he got out of the car. 

“Hey, what are you doing with my kid?” demanded the man, looking irate.

“Well, he was too scared to come out to the parking lot, so I’m bringing him to you. What’s the deal anyways? Don’t you think he’s a little young to be left alone like that?” asked Noctis, clearly unable to keep the annoyance out of his voice.

“Get in the car Junior!” ordered the man.

Walking right up to Noctis’s face, he noted the man was almost as tall as Gladio, but without the excess muscle. He took a step back, feeling slightly menaced and before he even had time to react to what was happening, he felt a sharp stabbing pain in his left leg! Looking down, he saw a knife wedged in his upper thigh. ‘What the hell?’ He thought and before the pain could even register to his brain, a horrendous electrical pulse flowed through his whole body, causing his muscles to become painfully rigid and his jaw to clench tight. Something stung the back of his neck and blackness crept around his eyelids. He felt something pulled over his head just as the world went dark


	2. Chapter 2

The cute redhead noticed the three men looking her way, and winked in their direction. Slowly she made her way to their booth and stopped at their table. 

“Hey handsome, I haven’t seen y’all ‘round these parts before,” she drawled in a thick southern accent, directly at Ignis, almost ignoring the other two. Gladio and Prompto just about fell off their seats in surprise! 

“No you would not have, as we are just passing through. This is quite a lovely Diner, and we are looking forward to trying, ah, new culinary dishes,” replied Ignis in his elegant Tenabraen accent. 

“Goodness me, I just love your accent. From Tenebrae right? It’s so sexy. My name is Lydia and I’ll be your waitress. Here are your menus. Are y’all just the three then?” she asked? 

Prompto covered his mouth with his hand trying really hard to conceal a giggle at the waitress’s response to Ignis’s accent! 

“No actually, the fourth member of our party has excused himself for the lavatory,” stated Ignis. 

“Oh man,” groaned Prompto under his breath, “to much info there, Specs!” 

“Alrighty, here you go then” and handed them a fourth menu. “Signal when y’all ready to order,” and sashayed away, knowing full well three sets of eyeballs were ogling her derriere. Time dragged by while each of the boys perused their menus, lost in their own thoughts. 

“Hey, hasn’t Noct been gone for a long time now?” asked Prompto, unable to keep the concern from his voice. “Maybe I’ll just go see if he’s ok, cause, um, you know…” as he glanced sideways at Gladio. 

‘Yeah, go see if the little brat is still sulking,” sighed Gladio, in exaggeration. 

Rolling his eyes at Gladio, Prompto got up and made his way to the men’s room and opened the door “Hey Noct, come on dude, I know Gladio’s an ass, but don’t let him get you down…huh?” 

There was no one in the washroom. It was visibly empty. Trying to keep his apprehension at bay, Prompto made his way back to the booth. 

“Uh guys, Noct isn’t in the washroom.” 

“What do not mean he’s not in there?” growled Gladio. 

“Uh, exactly that. I looked and he’s not there,” replied Prompto, shrugging his shoulders. 

“Well we’d have seen him if he left the Diner cause we were looking towards the front door!” stated Gladio with certainty. 

“Uh yeah, at the cute waitress,” responded Prompto, raising his eyebrows in consternation. 

“Prompto, is there a back exit?” asked Ignis quickly. 

“I’ll go look.” Prompto hurriedly walked back to the washroom area and looked down the long dark hallway and noticed a red exit sign. He waved to the other two men in affirmation. 

“Gladio, go out the back with Prompto and meanwhile I shall exit by the front. We shall meet in the parking lot,” sighed Ignis, figuring on finding a moping Noctis. 

“Gods, that little dipstick is gonna…” mumbled Gladio under his breath while heading towards Prompto. 

Gladio and Prompto headed outside through the back exit. It was now pretty dark out, but they didn’t’ see any immediate signs of Noctis. Going around the corner they met Ignis, who assured them that Noctis was not in front either. 

“Maybe he’s sulking in the Regalia,” noted Gladio. 

All three of them headed to the back of the lot where the Regalia should have been parked. 

“Didn’t you park here Iggy?” asked Prompto looking confused. 

“I most certainly did, Prompto, but it appears that the Regalia is missing from the parking spot, as is Noctis.” Replied Ignis while pinching his nose under his glasses. 

“If that little brat took the Regalia for a joy ride because he’s such a dick baby, I’m gonna beat his ass so good he won’t sit for a bloody week” Gladio said with annoyance and frustration in his voice. 

The three looked at each other, as if to say…now what? Walking around the parking lot, Prompto noticed something on the ground near where the Regalia’s trunk should have been, and paled. 

“Uh guys, can you take a look at this?” he said in a shaky voice. 

Gladio and Ignis walked over to see what had Prompto so shaken up. There, on the ground, were a couple of dark wet spots, which looked suspiciously like blood. 

“Oh man, this is not good Guys!!!” said Prompto. 

Ignis pulled out his cell phone and punched in Noctis’s cell phone number. After the 4th ring, it went straight to voicemail. Gladio and Prompto followed suite. All calls went to voicemail. For obvious security reasons Noctis was always supposed to answer his phone if one of the guys called. This was not good indeed! 

“Where did he go? Do you think that’s his blood? I’ll go inside and ask around if anyone saw anything,” said Prompto, feeling the need to do something. 

Agreeing, both men followed him inside the Diner. Questioning the employees and customers held no clues. Lydia, their waitress, was trying to be as helpful as possible, sensing the anxiety settling around the three boys. 

“Do you by any chance happen to have a video camera set up outside in the back?” asked Ignis. 

“Actually we do. Because the parking lot is in the back, we’ve had several problems with vandalism so our boss hooked one up last year. Follow me to the back office” 

All three followed Lydia to the back. 

“Here’s the video equipment. I hope y’all know how it works. I have to get back out to the customers. Let me know if y’all need any more help,” she offered kindly. 

“Thank you Lydia, you are most obliging. We will let you know,” replied Ignis. 

Prompto and Gladio looked over Ignis’s shoulder while he set up the video feed. Looking at the monitor, it displayed a black and white image, dark and grainy, but eligible enough. Ignis fast-forwarded until he saw them park the Regalia. 

* * * * * * * 

In silence, they watched as they saw themselves on the video. They all got out of the car and headed towards the front where they were no longer visible on the video. Approximately two minutes later, a large black van pulled along the right side of the Regalia. Two men exited the vehicle and began examining the Regalia. One man was of tall and slim with shoulder length hair, and the other man was shorter and stockier with a shaved head. It was clear that they were having a conversation, although there was no sound to the video. 

A minute went by and a smaller car drove up and parked on the left side of the Regalia. A very large man and a small child got out of the car and headed towards the back exit of the Diner. The large man opened the door and let the child inside, then walked back towards the other two men. They had a brief conversation. 

The tall man opened the back of the van and grabbed something that looked like coils of rope. The shorter man climbed into the driver’s side of the van and pulled back and parked towards the corner of the building just out of the camera’s view. He then walked back towards the Regalia holding some small dark object in his hand and sat on the ground by the passenger door, now out of sight. The average sized man, who was still holding the coils of rope, walked off the lot, and into the bushes in front of the Regalia and hunched down until he also was no longer visible. The large man got back into his small vehicle and just sat there. 

About five minutes went by and suddenly the back door opened. Out came Noctis, holding the hand of the small child who looked like he was crying. Noctis stopped and paused to look around the lot and the small child pointed towards the smaller vehicle parked by the Regalia. 

Noctis gently pulled the child towards the car and stopped around three feet away from the door. They saw the large man get out. Noctis and he exchanged some words. The man was seen to order the child into the vehicle and stepped towards Noctis, towering his smaller frame. Noctis took a step back and the man quickly lunged with what resembled a switchblade and stabbed it into Noctis’s leg. 

“The hell?” yelped Prompto! 

Immediately, while Noctis was clearly stunned, the shorter man that was on the ground by the Regalia got up and jammed some sort of electronic device into Noctis’s side. Noctis’s body went rigid and then into some sort of seizure. The third man stepped out of the bushes and jabbed a syringe into Noctis’s neck. He then pulled a dark hood over Noctis’s head as he fell limply to the ground. 

The men cast furtive glances about the parking lot. The large man then got into his car and drove off. The shorter man went through the now limp Noctis’s jacket and pulled out the Regalia’s spare key. He popped open the trunk. With Noctis still on the ground, one man tied Noctis’s arms behind his back while the other tied his ankles together. They then grabbed Noctis not too gently under his arms and heaved him into the trunk. Noctis’s head hit the side of the trunk while he was forced in. They folded his legs up to his chin wedging him inside as much as possible among their baggage and camping gear, and closed the lid. The shorter man got into the Regalia and drove off the lot. The other man returned to the van where he too, presumably drove away. 

*** * * * * * * ***

Silence descended over Ignis, Gladio and Prompto. A feeling of dread entered the room. They were all feeling total disbelief that they were not there and failed to protect Prince Noctis. Gladio, as his shield, especially felt that weight! 

“Well, this is certainly a horrifying predicament,” stated Ignis. 

“I’m his shield dammit! I should have been there!” roared Gladio, angry at himself. 

“Oh man. What are we gonna do?” cried Prompto. 

* * * * * * * * 

The first thing Noctis became aware of was a raging headache. He tried to open his eyes but whimpered from the pain that radiated down to his neck. He was cold. His mouth was dry. He felt woozy. Like he’d been drinking. He tried to turn over to adjust his discomfort but his limbs didn’t seem to be listening to his brain. Slowly he lost consciousness once again. 


	3. Chapter 3

“We need to call the Marshal,” said Iggy in a very sombre tone.  
Gladio and Prompto quickly agreed. Although calling the Crownsguard was just another reminder of their failure to protect Noctis

“He what?” yelled Cor Leonis, Marshal of the Crownsguard. So loud that he was heard through the whole office, even though he was not on speakerphone. 

“Noctis was taken by some men in the parking lot. They knocked him out. We think they drugged him or something! They threw him in the trunk of the Regalia and drove off,” said Gladio in a small voice. 

Silence on the other end of the phone showed just how much Cor was working at controlling his fury. “Where are you?” he asked”

“We’re at the Diner out by Hammerhead. The Burger Bog,” replied Gladio.

“Don’t move. Don’t go anywhere. We’re on our way.”

They sat in silence. Looking at each other. Not knowing what to say or what to do! Noctis was somewhere, all alone, hurt. And they could do nothing until they found him.

*** * * * * * * * ******

********

A grim looking Cor drove up with a few of the best Kingsglaives, Nyx Ulric, Crowe Altius and Libertus Ostium, in two black unmarked SUV’s. He got as much information from the boys as possible. They all went into the office to view the video together in silence. Cor occasionally muttered an oath under his breath!

“Well clearly this was pre-meditated. They’ve most likely been trailing you, waiting for the right time to strike. It was a well-organized plan. Right time, right place. These are clearly not amateurs. Most likely for ransom! Using a child to lure Noctis….” He sighed. “One of his many weaknesses! So where were you three idiots while Noctis was outside?” asked Cor, trying to hold in his anger.

“We were sitting at the booth. He just went in back to go to the washroom. We didn’t see him leave by the back exit. We didn’t see the kid either. We just didn’t see…” Gladio’s voice trailed off. 

“Gladiolus Amicitia, as his sworn shield, you are to follow him everywhere! Even the washroom! You know this! That is your training. You know! And Ignis, what where you thinking? You’re usually so on top of things. Prompto, aren’t you his best friend? You could have gone with him? I am disappointed in all of you. You’ve let me down. You’ve let the Prince down. You’ve let the King down. You are going to do only what I say you need to do. You’ve done enough damage. Let us do our work to find his Highness and you’d better hope and pray to the Six that he gets out of this with the least amount of harm as possible.” Without another word, Cor and the three Kingsglaive left the office to go outside to discuss their plan of action. The three boys felt totally chastised and could only silently look at each other.

*** * * * * * * * ******

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The next time Noctis came to, he was a little more aware of his surroundings. His head still throbbed but was slightly more bearable. His tongue was thick in his mouth. He tried to recall what happened. His mind drifted to the young boy he had tried to help. Then he remembered looking up into the irate fathers eyes and taking a step back. He recalled being stabbed in the leg, for no reason! The rest was all muddled and blurry. 

He tried to concentrate on the present. Ok, his arms were tied. Really tight! Behind his back! Where was he? Why was it dark? Why was it difficult to breath...? Get air? He tried to move again. He felt a sharp pain in his left leg. Right. He was stabbed. What the hell for? Gods it burned. He felt his knees practically wedged under his chin. Probably why he had difficulty breathing. He wasn’t sure, but he thought his legs were tied as well. What the hell? Where was he? Suddenly he was aware of a vibration underneath of him. A sound. Like a car engine? ‘Fuck! I’m in a Gods damn trunk,’ he thought sluggishly to himself. Probably explained why he couldn’t see to well. His head began to throb again and his leg wound stung sharply. He felt light headed and dizzy and slightly nauseous. He closed his eyes and drifted back into a world of darkness.

*** * * * * * * * ******

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Cor was outside of the Diner discussing plans with Nyx, Crowe and Libertus. 

"I'll call Clarus and put him up to speed and have the technicians work on zeroing in on the GPS on the Prince’s phone, and the transmitter on the Regalia. Shouldn't be too long before we have an idea in which direction to start. Be ready to move out once word comes in. I'll go see to our three irresponsible useless bodyguards..." his voice trailed off as he shook his head in displeasure. 

"Guys, do you think I'll get beheaded? Thrown in the dungeon? Or forced to leave Insomnia?" whined Prompto miserably. "Man, I so deserve it," and he gave a long drawn out sigh. 

"No one will execute you Prompto, and you will not be imprisoned,” responded Ignis. “For certain we will be reprimanded for our lack of supervision towards our charge. I for one, will never forgive myself if anything happens to Noctis," he added. 

Before anyone could respond, the door to the office opened and the Marshal walked in. He looked at all three boys one at a time before taking a deep breath.

"As soon as we get a ping on the Prince’s phone, we are heading out." Before any of the young men could say a word, he continued. "All three of you will ride with me. You'll stay quiet and only do as your told. For now, go get some food and be ready at a moments notice," and he walked out of the office, closing the door softly behind him, somehow making them feel worse than if he'd have slammed it.  


*** * * * * * * * ******

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"Clarus, what's the update on my son?" Asked king Regis of his shield, with deep worry lines etched on his face.

"We're waiting on the technical team to give us an idea where to start our search. Shouldn't be too long Your Majesty," replied Clarus.

“I want him back quickly and unharmed Clarus,” whispered Regis.

Laying his hand tenderly on King Regis’s shoulder, “That is our plan your Majesty.”

*** * * * * * * ***

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Noctis was jarred awake by hands pulling and tugging him out of his cramped position. His muscles screamed at the sudden stretching after his long confinement in the trunk. Whoever was manhandling him quickly realized that he couldn’t stand on his own so he was unceremoniously thrown over the persons shoulder. How long had it been? How many hours had gone by? He’d lost so much track of time. His head was throbbing, his arms uncomfortably tight behind his back, his head was dangling and hitting against his attackers’ back with each step adding to his discomfort. He felt himself dropped into a backseat of another vehicle. He was forced down on the ground between the seats. Before he could get a hold of his bearings, he felt another jab in his neck and within moments everything went dark once again.

The next time he woke up, he was being pulled out of the cramped floor space and forced to stand! Nausea and dizziness overtook him and he began to slump over. He was again thrown over his abductor’s shoulders and carried off. No words were spoken. Total silence. He could make out several sets of footsteps. He tried to pay attention to where they were bringing him but it was too disorienting. Lots of walking and turning! He sensed going down steps. Then more walking! An elevator? How many floors? Up or down? He couldn’t tell. 

He could feel the air suddenly become very cold against his skin. Even through his light leather jacket he felt the dampness seep in. He tried to speak but his throat was raw and dry and he was unable to make a sound other than a groan.  
Suddenly he was abruptly dropped to the ground. With little warning he fell and landed painfully on his side, with his head hitting the hard surface. It took him a few minutes to catch his breath.

"Who are you?" he managed in a raspy voice between parched lips. "Where am I? What do you want?" his voice was slightly muffled behind the hood.

Before he could grasp what was happening, he received two swift hits to his abdomen knocking the breath out of him. Wheezing now, his head spinning, pain everywhere, he moaned. His attacker didn’t say a word! Still weak from the drugs in his system, he easily descended into blissful unconsciousness. 

*** * * * * * * * ******

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Within an hour, Cor got a call from the technical team giving him the coordinates to the GPS on the Prince’s phone. It seemed to be stationary in an area south of Hammerhead, about 50 miles away. As to the Regalia, the results showed it was heading in the direction of Niflheim Territory. Speaking into his earpiece, Cor sent Crowe and Libertus off to find and retrieve the phone. Meanwhile he and Nyx, along with the three subdued young boys squeezed into the back seat; headed off in the night towards the Regalia, and Noctis.

*** * * * * * * ***

********

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Noctis slowly came too. He was laying on a cold hard surface. The hood was still covering his face. His arms and legs were still tied. He was aching everywhere. He was cold. His head hurt. His muscles screamed in protest. He couldn’t see. Panic set in, as he realized he still couldn’t see! He started to hyperventilate as he felt the air stifling under the hood. Trying to take slow deep breaths like Iggy taught him, it helped to ease the panic rising in his chest. 

His bound wrists burned where the tight rope was chafing the skin raw. He could barely feel his legs below his knees, sure that his circulation was constricting from the tight rope. Why was he here? What did these people want? Ransom? Why didn’t they speak? A million questions were whirling around his head. Why didn’t he let the guys know he was going outside? Was this a set up? Was that little kid in on it? Fuck! He really screwed himself into a corner now. Trying to assess his whereabouts, he concluded that he was in some sort of cell, judging by the hard cold floor and the frigid damp air. Shit, Not Good!

Suddenly the heavy metal door screeched open and footsteps approached Noctis. Trying to still his racing heart, Noctis again asked why he was there. What did they want? A hand slammed hard against the side of his head causing his ears to ring. His arms were grabbed. A cold steel band was snapped tight on each wrist before his arms were untied. He heard chains being attached to the bands. He felt his arms being pulled upwards by the chains, until he was standing up. Someone roughly tugged off his boots and socks and he felt the cold floor underneath his bare feet. Then he felt the same bands of cold steel being wrapped around his ankles. Chains were attached to those also. His legs were untied, and then pulled apart until he was sprawled out like a standing star. His heart beat in fear. His breath hitched under the hood. Then he felt a stiff collar being wrapped around his neck, tucking down the hood firmly in place, and pulled tight around his neck, just enough to allow breathing but making swallowing slightly uncomfortable. He heard the click of a lock and a chain being attached to the collar. He felt the weight of it hang down his back.

“Please,” he whimpered. “Why are you…doing this?”

Something slammed into his stomach. A punch? A kick? He didn’t know anymore. He only knew the air was knocked out of him and the searing pain radiating down his stomach and side. He hung limply until he could catch his breath again. 

“Oh Gods, please…stop,” he cried out!

This time he got a punch to his face. Gasping in pain, he tasted blood in his mouth as it flowed freely from his nose! He tried to spit it out despite the hood. He was unable to breathe from his nose as it had clogged up with blood! He felt himself panic. His heart beat so hard and fast he could feel it jumping out of his chest! He hurt so much. He just wanted to go home. See his Dad, his friends, Iggy, Prom, Gladdy. He wanted to forget what was happening to him. 

The footsteps receded and he heard the closing of the heavy metal door. Slowly, he realized that he was now alone. He was left panting and trying to pull air through the fabric of the hood. His body was on fire. Pain radiating from everywhere. After what felt like hours, he tried to take stock of his situation. Was he chained from the ceiling? He tried to move around but was held firmly in place. His arms began to cramp as they were held in an unnatural position above his head. His fingers were growing colder as the circulation was cut off. Pulling only increased the pressure on the scrapes and cuts that the metal bands were now causing. He didn’t know how much time had gone by. Seemed like hours. Sometimes he nodded off only to wake up again by the sharp digging of the metal bands in his wrists. He thought he passed out at some point, but was unsure. Time had no meaning under the hood. It was so dark! And sound was muffled. Under the darkness of his hood, he whimpered quietly, “Someone, please help me.”

 

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Cor got an update from Crowe and Libertus. They had found the Prince’s phone on the side of the road. It was pretty much smashed up, most likely thrown from the window, as the car was still moving. He gave them the information they needed to follow in the direction of the Regalia. Cor was hoping that they would catch up with it soon, to end this nightmare!


	4. Chapter 4

The steel door opened with a loud metallic screech, pulling Noctis from his lethargic state! Steps approached him and he felt the fabric from his hood being pulled away from his mouth. Something sharp cut a small hole near his mouth. Gods! Fresh air! Well dank air, but to Noctis it felt heavenly. He gulped in breaths like his life depended on it. He was so grateful for the ability to breath without restriction. Noctis whispered “Thank you” He immediately got a sharp kick to his left thigh, where he had been stabbed. Then he received a kick to his already tender stomach. He was now wheezing and gasping for breath. Hot searing pain was engulfing his whole mid-section. He couldn’t take this anymore. Gods! Please! Why? Noctis slowly began to recognize that every time he spoke he suffered agonizing blows. He remained quiet. He knew the person was still in the room with him. He felt him.

Suddenly his right arm was released from its hanging position. His arm fell to his side causing the chain to rattle. Unable to keep his balance he felt himself tilt to the left. Before all his weight fell against his left arm, it too, was released. Having nothing to hold him up, he fell back hard on his ass, amid a clang of chains, knocking his breath out. His arms were then stretched out and chained on each side. It was the same position as before, except now he was positioned down on the cold hard ground. His light leather jacket and pants were doing nothing to protect him from the chill of the floor. He was left alone again. Sheer exhaustion caused him to doze off fitfully.

Sometime later, the sound of the door pulled him from his semi-conscious state. Someone approached him. His arms were released. His arm was tugged on and he was forced to sit up. His right hand was grabbed and something was placed into it. It felt like a bottle of water? Not knowing what was expected of him, and not wanting to be hit again, he just sat there and waited. His attacker impatiently brought his right hand holding the bottle towards his face, and Noctis understood that he had been given the permission to drink. Sweet Six. He passed the bottle through the hole in front of his lips with shaking hands and sucked greedily, realizing how thirsty he was. He wanted to say thank you, but he now knew better.

Too soon the bottle was empty and was taken away. Something new was placed in his right hand. Then the footsteps receded and the metal door was closed with a loud metallic clang. Noctis dropped the item from his hand and immediately tried to pull the hood off this head with his now free hands. It was wedged so tightly into the collar that he couldn’t remove it. Chains clanging, he reached for the collar to unbuckle it, but felt the lock holding it tightly in place. His arms fell discouragingly by his side. He sat still for a few moments, breathing. Hot tears were overflowing onto his cheeks. He was so disoriented and felt powerless. He couldn’t see a way out of this predicament. His friends had to find him soon! They were probably on their way right now, he hoped.

He closed his eyes and daydreamed warmly about his friends, camping, hunting, and hanging around. He thought about his 18th birthday celebration coming soon. Being able to have his first drink. Having fun with his friends. Driving his very own car! 

Feeling slightly more encouraged, he slowly felt around for the object he had dropped. Finding it, he brought it close to the hole in his hood. He still couldn’t see, but by feel and smell he determined that he was holding a crust of bread. He broke off a small piece and pushed it through the hole in the hood, and into his mouth. Such a small piece! He was unable to swallow it as nausea took hold. His gag reflex wouldn’t allow food to pass. He lay back down on his back on the hard floor. Feeling the cold seep into his bones, he began to shiver. 

Hours went by. He was exhausted. Tears formed at the corners of his eyes…falling to the side of his face, disappearing into the hood’s fabric. Unable to curl himself into a ball for warmth as his legs were still stretched out and chained to each side, he just laid on his back. He began to feel discouraged again. He was feeling isolated and abandoned. His hope was beginning to fade. Time had lost meaning. Only pain, cold, and the unyielding darkness…


	5. Chapter 5

“Dad, where are we going?” asked Noctis, looking way up to his father who was holding his hand.

“We are taking a walk to the gardens son. We have some important things to discuss now that you are growing up so fast.” King Regis looked down fondly upon his son. 

Framed by long thick black lashes, Noctis’s clear blue eyes looked up at his father questioningly.

“Being the Crown Prince will mean that soon you will be given special studies. You will need to learn about the etiquette, laws, rules, and the politics necessary to run a kingdom,” continued Regis taking in the widening of Noctis’s eyes and the paling of his skin. Always paler since the horrific car accident that he was in as a young child that nearly cost him his life and took away his mother’s – his dear heart –Aulea.

“I can’t learn all that Dad, I’m only eight!” answered Noctis, his voice quivering.

Chuckling, Regis scuffled his son’s hair and assured him that his special studies wouldn’t begin until summer’s end. And only bit by bit.  
Seeming appeased, Noctis ran towards the fountain with the true exuberance of an innocent child. Regis sighed and ambled after his son, pride in his eyes for his only child. Noctis reached up to his Dad, and King Regis knew that his time to treat Noctis as a child was soon coming to an end. He swung his son by the arms, making him squeal in delight! Noctis loved it when his Dad swung him in the air. He felt like he was flying. But Dad was squeezing his wrist a little to tightly. Noctis felt a little scared. He wanted his Dad to stop now. It was hurting a lot…Stop! Ow!

Noctis woke up to his wrists being pulled up by the chains and hooked in place above his head. Confused, coming out of his dream he had difficulty understanding what was going on. 

“Wha-Whats happening?” he managed to say before remembering that he was not allowed to speak. 

Something solid slammed into his side. He screamed as he felt and heard some ribs crack! Moaning and hanging from his wrists he felt helpless. He screamed again as something cold and sharp sliced down his arm, burning. He felt his blood dripping down his arm, down his side. He cried out again as he felt the same cold sharpness slicing end to end on his lower abdomen, under his navel. He was sobbing and hyperventilating under his hood. Another hit to his leg, a cut to his other arm. Cuts to his legs! His whole body was on fire! He was in agony. Writhing from his chains he tried to move away from his attacker. He couldn’t take this anymore! He screamed out “STOP!’

 

Suddenly he felt his neck being jerked back from the chain attached to his collar. Slowly the chain was pulled up putting pressure on the collar and his neck, choking off his air supply. He clenched his teeth and stiffened his neck, trying to protect his windpipe. His world began to fade. Just as he was about to pass out, the chain was released and he gulped in precious mouthfuls of air. His throat was on fire. His body was shaking. He could barely stand, being held up by his wrists. His legs were still sprawled out and chained. He was now weaving in and out of consciousness. He heard the heavy metal door clang shut, leaving him in silence. He began to sob, heart rending sounds ripped from deep inside his chest. He wet himself. He didn’t care. The first warmth he felt in a long while was his own urine dribbling down his legs! He felt numb. He felt despair, and forsaken. He begged to the Gods that seemed to have deserted him. “Gods, please let me die.”


	6. Chapter 6

After trailing the Regalia for almost a week, they finally found it abandoned on the side of the road, hidden slightly behind some trees. There was no sign of Noctis. Just a lot of dried blood in the trunk! They did a thorough search of the area and discovered the imprints of a Niflheim airship landing not too far away. The gravity of the situation was now dire. The group felt their hopes fading with this new development, as there was now no easy way to track Noctis’s whereabouts, other than knowing he was probably on an enemy aircraft and most likely heading towards Niflheim.

Prompto began to weep quietly. Gladio sighed and sat on the ground dishearteningly. Ignis walked towards Cor, hoping that the man could think of anything to help them in their search for Noctis. He refused to give up hope! 

They discussed different strategies. Everyone was tired and stressed so a lot of disagreements ensued. Cor was all for sending the boys back to Insomnia with the Regalia. They disagreed vehemently with that idea. They wanted to find Noctis. They needed to find Noctis! They were not going to give up or let up. It was finally decided that they would split into three groups. Cor and Nyx in one vehicle heading towards Niflheim via the back roads, Crowe and Libertus in the other, heading through the small villages trying to gather any Intel. The boys would take the Regalia and keep heading on the main road towards Niflheim. They were to contact Cor if anything looked suspicious or seemed off. Under no circumstances were they to act on their own!

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“Noctis, I would like to introduce you to Ignis Scientia. He will be your advisor and companion, and will help to teach you all the inner aspects of ruling our Kingdom. He is already in training and ready to stay by your side from this day forth,” declared King Regis with serious authority.

Nine-year-old Noctis looked shyly at the boy standing before him. He was quite tall for a 12 year old. Ash blond hair with bangs styled in spikes. He was wearing over sized glasses, as if trying to make himself look scholarly. Noctis extended his had in greeting. 

“Pleased to meet you Ignis,” said the prince in his most serious ‘princely’ voice!

Bowing, Ignis replied in a very dignified manner, “the pleasure is all mine your Highness.” As his glasses began sliding down his nose, this elicited a giggle from Noctis.

King Regis was content that the first meeting was going very well and left the boys alone so they could get better acquainted.  
In no time at all the two boys were always together. Noctis was usually walking ahead of Ignis, while the latter gave him advice, pointers and reminded him of his duties as Crown Prince. They really seemed to enjoy each other’s company and became fast friends. 

Ignis would recite stories of old about the Gods of Eos. Noctis would always be fascinated, as Ignis made everything sound so wonderful. When Noctis would wake up in the middle of the night with nightmares from his accident, Ignis would crawl into his bed and hold him until he would settle back down. He always felt so safe with Ignis. 

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Noctis woke up from his dream by feeling ice-cold water thrown over his body. Trembling and still hanging, he just waited, unable to do anything except shiver. This time, not only were his arms released, but also, his legs. Noctis sat down hard on the ground, trembling in his wet clothes. He was yanked by the arm and forced to stand up. Shaking, not sure if he was able, he slowly got up and stood wobbling back and forth. His leather jacket and t-shirt were yanked off his body by rough hands. Not easily as the chains length had to work it’s way through the sleeves. Now his abductor was scrabbling at his belt when Noctis reacted instinctively by grabbing at the offending hand. He was backhanded across the face and punched in the gut causing him to fall over on his knees gasping for air. Noctis was whimpering under his hood! Terrified! Hands roughly grabbed him by the belt hefting his mid section about a foot off the ground. His belt was undone and his pants and underwear were roughly pulled off as Noctis tried to keep his naked body from hitting the cold hard ground.

He was grabbed by his right hand and was pressed naked up against the cold cement wall. So cold he gasped! His right wrist was pulled up by the chain and attached overhead. His attacker then retreated from the cell. He was left in this position. Standing, with one arm chained up! If he tried to bend his legs, then his one arm held up his entire body weight. If he tried leaning against the wall to rest, it was so cold against his naked body. He could only handle it in short spurts. When he pulled away from the wall, it would put stress on his already bleeding wrist, causing pain to rip all the way down his arm. His shoulder was burning from the unnatural position it was forced into. 

Hours went by! His abductor came back into the cell. He stood there, doing nothing, saying nothing. He left the cell and returned with another bucket of ice-cold water to douse over Noctis’s body. His arm was unhooked from above and it fell limply to his side. Before he could fall to the ground, he was spun around and his back was forced against the cold wall. This time, his right ankle was hooked above, raising his foot above the ground about twelve inches, forcing his knee to bend. Then his left arm was hooked above his head. He was again left alone. His discomfort was now agonizing. Tears were flowing from his eyes, unhindered. Deep sobs were pulled from his chest. Not being able to find any comfortable positions to ease the aches of his body, his mind slowly shut down and slowly became numb to his discomfort. This type of relentless torture went on for hours. Maybe days? He didn’t know anymore. He lived in silence. He lived in darkness. The only relief he had was once a day he was released and given a bottle of water and a dried piece of bread. A metal bucket was also left in the cell, so he could use to relieve himself. How many hours went by? How many days? Weeks? He had no concept of time anymore. Just relentless torture, pain, darkness and despair!


	7. Chapter 7

It had been two weeks already! Cor and Nyx had had no success on the back roads heading towards Niflheim. Crowe and Libertus had not unearthed any information from the outlying villages. 

‘Two weeks is a long time with no contact to let them know what the kidnappers demands were,’ thought Cor. 

He was beginning to doubt that the Prince was still alive. He thought this wasn’t a ransom kidnapping after all, but maybe for some other nefarious purpose that he didn’t even want to contemplate. Feeling pretty disheartened at this point, he contacted Clarus at the Citadel for new instruction. 

“Keep looking” were the orders from the King. The king also sent out reinforcements. Six more SUV’s’ with Kingsglaives and Crownsguards were to head to Gralea, the Capital city of Niflheim, where they would all meet and continue the search. Sighing deeply, Cor tried to be supportive and encouraging towards his team. He ordered Crowe and Libertus to revisit the same small villages incase they missed something vital.

 

Cor contacted the boys and told them to start heading towards Gralea where everyone would meet. They continued on in silence only stopping for meals and Havens at nighttime. Conversation was limited to daily mundane activities. The air was thick in the Regalia. Noctis was heavily on their minds constantly, but talking about it out loud made it too real. Too painful! 

After days of non-communication Prompto finally broke the barrier of silence.

“It’s his birthday today, he’s 18, legal. He can have a drink.” sighed Prompto, sadly. “Do you think he’s still alive?” he asked no one in particular.

Ignis quickly replied, “You mustn’t think that way Prompto. We must keep up the faith.” Although in his heart, he had the same uneasy thoughts.

Gladio remained suspiciously quiet, alone in the back seat. Usually Noctis was always seated beside him. He really felt the emptiness. They rode along in silence for another hour. 

“He’s was always such a reckless little guy! Never listened to me, any of us.” sighed Gladio, to no one in particular. “I wish…I want…I just want Noct to be safe.”

“I hear ya big guy,” agreed Prompto emphatically. “Happy Birthday buddy. Please be alive.” This said so quietly that no one heard him.

“We will find him. We will not give up the search until we do! I’m sure you all agree?” asked Ignis.

“Don’t even need to ask,” responded Gladio.

“Ditto,” added Prompto, softly.

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Noctis met Gladiolus Amicitia met for the first time when he was 10. He had never seen such a tall, huge, muscular teenager before. He had to tilt his neck all the way back to look up to him. The guy was pretty intimidating. He was officially his personal Shield. Noctis also began basic training with Gladio. This was quite daunting for the young Prince. He still had residual back pain from his accident, which he tried to hide from everyone. Gladio would push him beyond endurance and when Noctis couldn’t take the pain anymore and he would end his training sessions early, Gladio would only see Noctis as a lazy brat. That’s about the time he began nicknaming Noctis ‘Princess’. Noctis never allowed Gladio to know how much this hurt him. He would just continue to try harder to please his trainer.  
They would use wooden swords during practice to lessen any permanent damage towards Noctis. Gladio was relentless in his training however. He would urge Noctis to fight until he would literally fall over with exhaustion and pain!  
This particular day, Gladio was fighting him into a corner. Noctis had no energy left. He tried to block, but left his side wide open to allow Gladio a strong hit to his mid-section! That hurt! It hurt so much that he woke up to the pain!

He slowly remembered where he was. His stomach was cramping in agony! He was on his knees, doubled over. Head resting on the floor! Did he say something while he slept? At some point while he was in a dreamlike state, he was unhooked from above and was on the cold ground. He knew someone was in the room with him. He still felt the pain in his mid-section! This wasn’t his dream. This was happening. He heard movement across from him. Still he stayed in silence. He now knew better. 

He then heard one word, whispered in his ear. 

“Boy.” 

His heartbeat quickened. Was it his imagination? Then he heard it again. 

“Boy” 

After so many weeks of not hearing a human voice, it sounded like thunder! He was in shock! He didn’t know what to do. How to react! Was this a test? Was he being given permission to speak? He was so confused! Still, he knelt there, quietly, shivering. Afraid to move! Afraid to say a word! Just afraid!

Then he heard, in a low monotonous voice…

“Insignificant boy! You are useless to society. Nobody needs you. Nobody wants you. You’ve been abandoned. No one is even looking for you, after months! They are happy you are gone from their lives.”

So many words, after so much silence! Noctis’s head was muddled with confusion. He was feeling overwhelmed with the words thrown at him. Was it true? Had he been there for months? He knew he had been there for a really long time and no one had come for him. But months? Was he being lied to? He was so disoriented! He started breathing faster. Tears started spilling over his eyes. He was overcome by feelings of loneliness and desolation. 

As he was again being led to the wall for another session of torturous hangings, the whispers in his ear continued…”useless, selfish, unwanted, unloved, abandoned.”

Over the next few days this was his new torture. Chained up in different positions against the wall. Whispered rejections in his ear from what Noctis identified as ‘the Voice’! He knew he couldn’t speak out. He didn’t dare speak out. At first he denied these accusations in his head. Soon, he began to doubt them. Wouldn’t his friends, someone, anyone, have rescued him by now if he was wanted or loved? Maybe they were happy that he wasn’t around anymore. This made him feel so wretched and hopeless. His heart was heavy with sorrow. A little part of him began to give up.


	8. Chapter 8

It had been over four weeks since they began searching for Noctis. Ignis, Gladio and Prompto arrived in Gralea and searched everywhere for their friend and Prince. They asked around in taverns, shops, temples, the market place, even on the streets. No one had seen or heard anything. The boys were feeling desperate. They were angry, depressed, and irritable with each other. 

Bickering easily, they used each other to release their frustrations. One night they decide to hit up a bar for a drink. They needed to mellow out and think of a better plan. Gladio was particularly upset and feeling argumentative. He had a few too many drinks and got into a brawl with a patron that was almost his size. Ignis and Prompto managed to extricate him from the bar before the authorities where called to intervene. The boys made their way to a hotel for the night. Ignis gave Cor a call to get an update. Cor let them know that they would be meeting up soon along with re-enforcements.

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At fifteen, Noctis was finally allowed to attend public high school so he could learn to socialize with the regular citizens of Insomnia! He was very excited but also apprehensive as he was quite the introvert. He mostly just wanted to be able to escape the confines of the Citadel. This was where he met the beautiful blue eyed; blond haired boy named Prompto Argentum. They became instant friends. Bonding over video games, homework assignments and just generally hanging out. They soon became inseparable, both before and after school. Everyone in Noctis’s entourage liked Prompto. Ignis enjoyed the fact that Prompto made Noctis laugh and relax and be more like a normal teenage boy.

The two younger boys spent so much time together, it was decided that Prompto would also train with Gladio. As the young boys got stronger and more agile with their weapons, King Regis allowed occasional weekend hunts outside of Insomnia so the two younger boys could hone in on their newfound skills. Of course, Noctis’s Shield and his Advisor always accompanied them. Noctis was really beginning to enjoy his life! Just thinking of this time made him smile. Prompto always made him feel like a normal boy.

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“Boy, open your mouth!” the Voice ordered.

Noctis, with a slight smile still on his face, heard the Voice interrupt his happy thoughts. He frowned. Somehow, he was now on his hand and knees. His neck collar was hooked above, a little uncomfortable, but he was still able to breath if he kept his head up.

“I said open your mouth!” the Voice repeated, menacingly.

Noctis obediently opened his mouth. Something large and warm was pushed through the hole in his hood, forcing its way past his lips, stretching them, towards his throat, choking him. He panicked and tried to back away, feeling the collar cutting off his air supply. It dawned on him what is happening. He was being orally raped! The large member was sliding in and out, slowly at first, then gaining momentum. Noctis tried to push the body away with his hands but the chain wouldn’t allow that movement. He knew it was the ‘Voice’ that was doing this to him. 

The Voice was slamming himself harder, faster and deeper into Noctis’s throat. He was gagging and choking. Tears were escaping from the corners of his eyes. He couldn’t breathe. It seemed to go on forever, until suddenly, hot liquid shot down his throat. He swallowed and spit and gagged and coughed. The salty musky liquid sprayed on his lips, up his nose, and on his cheeks inside the hood. Finally when it was over, Noctis was gasping for breath. He was lightheaded and felt like he was about to heave. The chain holding up his neck collar was released and he fell to the ground. There he continued coughing and gagging. 

“That’s all your good for. Boy.” The Voice whispered savagely in his ear.

The metal door clanged shut. Noctis expelled what his stomach refused to accept. Now the inside of his hood was filled with the stench of vomit and semen. Noctis broke down and cried. Huge sobs were ripped from his chest. He tried to think of his friends, but he couldn’t see their faces in his mind anymore. His mind was so fragile; he had to constantly remind himself of his own name so as to not forget. “My name Is Noctis Lucis Caelum!” He was slowly loosing touch with reality and living more and more in a dreamlike state in order to survive the abuse.

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King Regis was very distraught over the news that his son’s whereabouts were still unknown. No ransom had ever been demanded. No one had come forth with any information whatsoever. A lot of time had gone by with nothing new to report. He was beginning to despair and to conclude the sad fact that his son may no longer be alive. He shared these doubts with Clarus, who thought his long time friend sadly, may be right. 

“What is your wish at this time Your Majesty, so that I may let the Marshal know?“ asked Clarus?

“ I want him back Clarus, alive and well. Failing that, I want his body returned to the Citadel so that he may have a proper burial suited to the Crown Prince of Insomnia,” Regis covered his face in his hands and broke down.


	9. Chapter 9

Gralea was a very large city, with lots of ground to cover. They were now a group of thirty-one men and women searching for Noctis. They were all extremely frustrated. Cor addressed them all.

“King Regis has ordered that we do not give up until we find Prince Noctis. He want’s his son back!” He paused, then added, “Even if we can only return his body…” 

The Kingsglaives were silent and mostly looking down, some at each other, uncomfortable with the idea that they may be retuning with the Prince’s body. Prompto gasped, as the full meaning seeped into his tired brain. Ignis put a warm comforting hand on his shoulder and gave him a reassuring squeeze.

‘We will find him Prompto. We are more people now so we can cover more ground.”

“I hope so Ignis, I just miss him so much,” wept Prompto, with tears slowly trailing down his cheeks.

Cor assigned the groups to different areas of Gralea. They were to start searching through the hundreds of abandoned compounds in the outlaying areas. They had a lot of searching ahead of them.

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The Voice entered the cell through the clanging door that woke Noctis from his trance. Noctis was lying curled on his side on the cold floor. Unhooked, he had a rare moment of respite from hanging. His heart began to beat faster. The Voice approached him. He felt the Voice’s hand gently touch his shoulder. Sliding down his arms, giving him shivers on his already trembling skin. ‘What’s going on?’ screamed Noctis in his head. He was terrified and his heart was filled with dread. The Voice continued to softly pet Noctis. Slowly, up and down his arms. Gently, towards his back. Working his way to his buttocks. Noctis took in a slow shaky breath. 

Suddenly he was grabbed roughly by the waist and forced onto his hands and knees. He heard a rustling of clothing behind him. He then felt the most unbearable pressure against his backside entrance. Fear filled his heart and he screamed when a tearing sensation was felt throughout his lower area. He cried and shrieked into his hood. He wanted to beg the Voice to stop. He could barely get air into his lungs. He tried to crawl forward, away from the pressure. He was grabbed by his slender hips and slammed against the Voice’s member. Noctis almost passed out from the pain. He sensed something wet sliding down his thighs. Blood? Gods, he was being torn in half! He was now whimpering, his head turned to the side while the Voice continued violating him. His whole body was shaking uncontrollably. It felt like it would never stop. The pressure was too much. The pain. The agony of being stretched, faster, harder, and deeper! The Voice muffled a cry and halted his movements, deep inside of Noctis. Noctis felt the Voice’s release inside of him. The Voice pulled out, and let go of his hold on Noctis’s hips. Noctis fell to the ground, trying to curl into himself. His body awash in agony. 

“You were put here for this Boy,” the Voice maliciously whispered in his ear. “You are only here to please me. No one else will want you after this. You are now soiled. You are unclean, defiled. You are forever tainted. You are not worthy of anyone ever again. Your name is ‘Boy’.” And he stomped on Noctis’s foot as a parting gift.

The Voice then left, closing the metal door and leaving Noctis alone and broken, curled up in a tight ball. He dry heaved, nothing in his stomach to come out. Sheer exhaustion had him fall into an unsettled slumber. 

 

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This was his life now. He was chained and hung in awkward positions. He was sexually violated and raped almost daily. He was kicked, punched, cut and sometimes Tazed. And he didn’t’ speak anymore. He hadn’t uttered a word in so long. He couldn’t even think coherent thoughts anymore. 

 

Noctis imagined there were three different beings that entered his cell. Maybe they were one and the same but he gave them names to help his mind differentiate between them. Chainman was the name given to the one who chained Noctis up into uncomfortable positions. Then there was Breadman, the one who left him a bottle of water, a dried piece of bread and emptied his bucket. Then there was the worst one. The Voice. The one that said mean and degrading things to Noctis! The Voice was the one who hurt Noctis the most. He sexually abused Noctis. He raped him daily. He was always rough and cruel. He was relentless in his violation of Noctis. He always ended the sexual assaults with pain and words of hurt. Reminding Noctis that he was nothing. Alone. Useless. Undeserving. Abandoned. Unloved. And Noctis believed him. He was the only human who spoke to Noctis.

Noctis was loosing so much weight. His ribs, collarbone, and hipbones were all protruding. He looked like a skeleton with a layer of grayish skin. His muscles had almost wasted away. His lungs were congested and a cough regularly hacked its way from deep inside his chest. His throat hurt when he swallowed. His lips were dry and cracked. Coated with dried blood and scabs that were reopened every time the Voice penetrated his mouth. His eyes were crusted over from dried semen and he was unable to open them. 

He was forgetting things. He was forgetting faces. He was forgetting names. He had to repeat to himself – “my name is Noctis Lucis Caelum.”  
Each time he woke up to a new day, it was harder to remember. “My name is Noct Lu-Lu- Lucai? Lu something. He tried to think of things that would take his mind away from his desolation. He had no thoughts. He couldn’t remember how he got there. He couldn’t recall what he did to deserve this. He knew he must have done something really bad. The Voice told him repeatedly, but he never said what. He closed his eyes and let his mind drift away to nothing.


	10. Chapter 10

After eight weeks of searching, the teams had eleven more compounds to investigate. They knew that if they came up empty handed then they were forced to return to Insomnia without the Prince’s body. For that is what they were now searching for.

Gladio, Ignis and Prompto entered a particularly dilapidated compound. It was dark and showed no signs of anyone having been there for a long time. The boys were now on autopilot in their search as each compound always came up empty. This one was not looking anymore promising.

Using their flashlights to locate their way, they finished searching the main floor, finding nothing. They slowly went down some steps to a lower floor. It was even darker there as there were no windows to even let in the moonlight. Half an hour later they conclude that this floor held nothing either. It pretty much looked like this was a two-floor compound, so they began working their way back to the stairs leading to the first floor.

 

*** * * * * * * ***

********

********

Noctis was delirious. He was burning up with fever. He thought it had been a long time since Breadman had come. Even Chainman and the Voice had been absent. Maybe he was finally being left alone. He tried to concentrate on what he should be doing. “Ok. Get up. Nope. Not going to happen. Try crawling.” He managed to move a foot before laying down again. Cold sweat was beading down his face inside the hood. He had to try to get…Get what again? He couldn’t remember. Was he supposed to wait? Had he done that already? Why couldn’t he think? Why couldn’t he remember anything? 

“Focus! On what you know. My name is…my name is…? What’s my name? Um. B-b something…Boy! That’s it. Thanks Gods I remember that at least.” 

Trying to think hurt so much. His body was on fire. His head hurt. His breathing was reduced. So much mucus was filling his chest, constricting his breathing. He was so cold. So weak! His body was shutting down. His mind was shutting down. He was ready to leave this earth. There was nothing here for him. No one was here for him. Even his abductors didn’t want him anymore! He was abandoned like a discarded piece of trash! He was left to die. Alone in the dark! That was ok. Where he was going, it was dark there too. At least there would be no more pain. No more heartache. No more loneliness. ‘Boy’ shut his eyes and slowly his breathing decreased. His heartbeat slowed…

 

*** * * * * * * ***

********

********

 

Gladio and Ignis were working their way back to the main floor.

“Come on Prompto, we’re outta here,” yelled Gladio

“Yup, coming,” replied Prompto.

Just as Prompto was about to climb the stairs the beam of his flashlight caught a crack in the wall that was not noticeable when they had descended the stairs. Curious he ran his fingers along it’s edge. It felt like it was puttied over to hide something. Prompto started scraping and scrabbling at the putty to remove it. Holy shit! It was a door!

“Guys! Guys! Come quick!” shrieked Prompto at the top of his lungs, feeling his heart quicken.

The way Prompto yelled had Gladio and Ignis thinking he had hurt himself so they ran down the stairs almost falling over each other in order to reach him. They were not, however, expecting to face an open door! 

“The hell Prompto?” asked Gladio. “That wasn’t here before.”

“I know, I found it by accident. Guys, this has to be it. He’s gotta be here.” Said Prompto, trying to convince himself.

The three boys aimed their flashlight beams into the dark passage. They slowly entered, listening. They worked their way down a very long passageway. No rooms, just stonewalls. Just as they were thinking it would lead them to a dead end, they felt a steel door. They discovered it was an elevator door. Finding the control panel, Gladio pushed the call button. For a few seconds, there was only silence, and then the humming of a motor came to life. The elevator door slid open. The boys entered. There was only one button to push, so Prompto pushed it. The doors closed and the elevator started a slow descent. Not knowing how deep it was going, Ignis hazarded a guess of about six floors down when they finally reached the bottom.

 

The elevator came to a rumbling stop and the doors slid open. The corridor ahead was very dark. They listened and didn’t hear anything. They began advancing slowly, their flashlight beams showing a long stone passageway. They noticed numerous heavy metal doors on each side of the passage. They began to systematically open each one and enter to investigate. Entering the first one revealed a very small cell. It was cold and damp. A pile of old rusty chains littered the floor. Pulleys and hooks were hanging from the ceiling. A few empty water bottles littered the floor. Nothing more of interest was found. Each door they opeed was a repeat of the first one. They began to realize that this was some sort of abandoned dungeon. A place where prisoners where probably once kept. Tortured. Hundreds of feet below the ground! They began looking through each cell more quickly, wanting this to be over.

In front of the last door, a small table was set. On the table were various instruments that at some point in time where used for possible torture? There were hooks, knives, whips, old glass syringes, and some things that they were clueless as to what they were used for. Thankfully they looked old and rusted and showed no signs of recent use.

Ignis opened the last door. It was dark. He flashed his beam of light across the floor and almost shouted. His fist slammed into his mouth to keep it in. Gladio and Prompto were close enough to hear his gasp of surprise and rushed to stand behind him. 

The beam of light caught the outline of a figure on the stone floor. It looked skeletal. It looked dead. They slowly approached with dread in their hearts. A horrid stench filled the cell. They could see it was a person. A very emaciated human! Naked, and covered in Gods knew what! It was a man. A hood covered his head. Shackles on his wrists and ankles! Still attached to long rusted chains haphazardly lying on the floor around him. A thick leather collar was wrapped around his neck, also with a chain attached to it. Ignis bent down. He touched the thin arm. It was ice cold to the touch. He listened, heard no breathing. 

“Oh my Gods,” shouted Prompto. “Is it Noct? Is he dead? Are we too late? Nooooo,” he cried, not willing to believe that after all this time, they finally found Noctis, only for him to be dead!!! He was sobbing openly, unable to stop his flow of tears.

Gladio looked to Ignis. They both knew that they needed to remove the hood. To see! To know! Carefully and with the gentlest of touch, Ignis tried to tug up the hood. He realized that it was tied down to the thick leather collar around the neck. He reached for the lock and saw that it was already hanging open. He removed it and gently unbuckled the collar slipping it away from the neck. Gently he pulled off the hood that was now stiff and encrusted.

They all inhaled sharply at the same time when they realized that the figure lying on the ground was indeed Noctis. His hair was flattened against his head, greasy and filthy, full of a dried white substance, old blood. His eyes were so encrusted with white scum that his eyelashes were not even visible! His cheeks were sunk in; dark bruises covering pretty much his whole face. Gladio leaned down and put his ear to Noctis’s chest and listened. To the other two, it felt like time had stood still. Gladio looked up with tears in his eyes.

“He’s breathing,” he whispered. “Just barely, but he’s breathing!”

At this, they all sprung into action. Ignis ordered Prompto to get a hold of Cor ASAP! Gladio and he slowly tried to remove the shackles. It quickly became obvious that they would require tools to remove them. Knowing that Noctis was near death, they decide to just get him out. Gladio pulled off his large jacket and covered Noctis’s small frame. He very gently picked up his friend, and it hit him just how light Noctis had become. He had nearly wasted away. The anger building in Gladio’s chest against the people who did this to him was difficult to keep in check. Ignis sensed this and said to him. 

“Gladio, he needs us now, more than ever. We need to remain clear headed. There will be time for anger later. We need to quickly get him to safety and he needs urgent medical attention while there is still a chance of survival.”

 

Gladio nodded his head and said nothing. Prompto relayed the news to Cor and urged him to meet them quickly. He had difficulty answering all of Cor’s questions. He just wanted to be with Noctis.

As quickly as possible the boys made their way back up in the elevator. Gladio was as gentle as possible with his precious Prince. Once outside the compound he kept Noctis in his arms to avoid jostling him as much as possible. He tried to share his body heat against Noctis’s so very cold one. Under the glaring parking lot lights, they got a better view of just how badly off Noctis really was. His arms and legs sticking out from Gladio’s jacket were reed thin and covered in so many bruises and cuts. Some had scabbed over. Some were still fresh. His wrists and ankles were scraped raw from the shackles, oozing with infections. They couldn’t even imagine what his covered body showed underneath Gladio’s jacket. An awful stench was emanating from him almost causing Gladio to gag, but he was not letting go of Noctis.

They looked at each other. Lost for words. To think that had they not found him, Noctis would have died, alone in a cell, hundreds of feet, deep below the earth. Like a tomb! Feeling a deep sense of relief that they now had their precious friend back, they also knew that he was not out of the woods yet!


	11. Chapter 11

All three boys were huddling under the streetlight, holding on to Noctis, when the Kingsglaives and Crownsguards began arriving. About twenty minutes later, Cor arrived with some of the Kingsglaive medics who immediately began administering first aid. Cor had Gladio lay Noctis down onto the back seat of an SUV. The medics began taking over. They inserted an I.V drip to start putting life saving fluids into Noctis’s dehydrated body. They also slipped on a portable oxygen mask gently over his swollen face, giving his lungs fresh oxygen, and hoping this would keep him alive until they could procure better treatment.

As the word spread to the other team members they began to arrive, gathering around Noctis. Everyone was shocked to see the devastating condition of the Prince. No one said anything. What was there to say?

*** * * * * * * * ******

********

********

 

Clarus rushed down the palace hallway, out of breath. He knocked forcefully and rapidly on King Regis’s private chambers. He knew this was going to alarm his Majesty unduly, but the news he had was just too valuable to wait. When a bleary-eyed Regis opened his chamber doors to a very harried looking Clarus, he knew immediately that this concerned Noctis. Trying to read into Clarus’s demeanor so he could prepare himself for the worst if need be, King Regis took a very deep slow breath.

“Your Majesty, they found him. They have found Prince Noctis and he’s alive. I don’t have all the details yet. The medics are with him, and they are still in Gralea and that’s all I know so far. I’ve already alerted the Helipad Command Center to prepare a direct flight to Gralea. I know that’s what you’d want. It will take about four hours to arrive in Gralea. I’ve had them prepare an on flight sick bay unit as well. I estimate their arrival back to the Citadel sometime in the early morning.” Said Clarus breathlessly.

King Regis almost sagged in Clarus’s arm, so overwhelmed with emotions. His son was alive! Noctis was alive!

“You’ve done everything right Clarus. I can’t even begin to thank you.” Said King Regis gratefully, clinging onto his dear friend’s arm!


	12. Chapter 12

It was a very nerve racking flight for everyone on board the large private helicopter belonging to King Regis. Having only the one, it was used on very rare occasions. Since the boys where the ones to find Noctis, and Cor would not have been able to unglue them from Noctis’s side anyway, they were given the right to go with the medics. 

The sophisticated medical bay on board the large flying vessel allowed for immediate and better care of the Prince. His heart and lungs were monitored. A very scary moment occurred when the alarms went off to alert them that Noctis had stopped breathing. The medical team was quick to administer first aid and got him breathing again. His breathing was very raspy and greasy sounding to even the untrained ear. With regular tool cutters, they were able to remove the shackles on his wrists and ankles and clean those wounds a little. Their goal was to get him to a hospital as quickly as possible. Meanwhile, Cor and the other Kingsglaives stayed behind to continue searching for more clues as to who was responsible for the abduction of the Prince.

King Regis and Clarus were both there to meet the helicopter when it landed! King Regis’s knees almost collapsed beneath him when he saw the state of his precious son. Fortunately he could only see him from the chest up as Noctis’s body was covered in a white hospital sheet. He was immediately rushed into a restricted area of the Citadel’s Royal Hospital. The boys were not allowed in. Even King Regis was banned. The Doctors needed to work on Prince Noctis and this was their area.

Hours went by as the boys paced in the waiting area. King Regis and Clarus asked the boys to fill them in on the details of the rescue, more to keep them preoccupied while awaiting news of the Prince. They tried as much as possible to filter out most of the gruesome details. Eventually the doctor came into the waiting room and greeted the King solemnly. He had the results of the Prince’s health condition and the concerns. He gave King Regis a questioning look after glancing towards the three boys.

“Allow them to stay,” the King said. “They found my son and have a right to know his situation.” The Doctor nodded in acquiescence.

The boys bowed to the King gratefully, and everyone sat down as the doctor began detailing the results of the abuse that occurred during the Prince’s long imprisonment. 

“Well first and foremost, we have placed the Prince in a medically induced coma to allow his body to heal with less stress. He has a severe lung infection, caused by an unknown bacterium that we are currently trying to determine. We have our best research team working on getting as much information from Niflheim as possible. It is being treated at the moment with a potent antibiotic through an I.V. solution. He is on a respirator to keep his lungs functioning and with much needed oxygen.” The Doctor paused, and looked to the King. Regis nodded at him to continue.

“He has a kidney infection caused by severe dehydration, which is also being treated. We won’t know if there will be any long-term repercussions until it is healed and we can do more tests. He is severely underweight, and suffering from acute malnutrition. We have installed a feeding tube and are providing him with an enriched liquid nutrient. He is also getting regular saline through his I.V. We have installed a catheter and a temporary colostomy bag while his body is in a coma.” The Doctor cleared his throat. 

“This is a more delicate matter, your Majesty, but there are indications of severe sexual anal and oral penetration.” Seeing King Regis pale, the Doctor paused in his report. 

 

“Your Majesty, shall I stop?” inquired the Doctor.

So softly, that only the silence of the room allowed his voice to carry, the king said, “Please, I need to know what my son went through. I need to understand. To help him! Spare me nothing.” His eyelids were just barely holding back the tears. The Doctor continued on.

“He has anorectic trauma from the sexual abuse. We have inserted healing salves, but again, we will not know the outcome until his Highness awakens and begins normal bodily functions.”

“We are testing his blood for any acquired STD’s. His eyes are infected and being treated with antibiotic ointment. We won’t know if there is any damage until the healing is complete and he opens his eyes. He is covered in bruises in various stages on his torso, face, and extremities. His larynx is bruised from being pressed and restrained by the collar he had around his neck.  
He has thirty-six cuts, possibly caused by a sharp blade, on his arms and legs. He has fourteen cuts on his stomach, and thirteen on his back. Prompto gasped causing the Doctor to pause again.

“Sorry” mumbled Prompto.

“Most of these cuts are superficial and are all in different stages of healing. Some are infected. Some are as recent as three days ago. He has an infected stab wound to his left leg. This is approximately 2 inches deep. It looks to be weeks old but has been subjected to unhygienic conditions and trauma, so hasn’t been healing. His wrist and ankles are scraped raw and infected from his shackles. He has two broken ribs and several cracked ones. He has a broken small toe on his left foot along with a small fracture along his ankle. He has two broken fingers on his left hand. He has numerous burn marks along his left side. We think a Taser was used to cause this.” The Doctor paused again. 

“Now your Majesty, these are just a list of the Prince’s physical damages.  
I can’t imagine the horror he has been subjected too. We will not know the condition of his state of mind until he regains consciousness. He needs time to heal. If at any time you have any questions please feel free to come and see me. Now I must return to monitor your son. Give us a few hours to stabilize him and I will arrange for you to be able to see him for a short while. Please excuse me.” The doctor quietly exited the waiting room.

Silence descended in the room upon the doctor’s departure. No one was able to speak; all absorbing the list of what Noctis had endured and must still go through to heal. Prompto was quietly weeping. Ignis was silent, lips pursed, trying to remain stoic for His Majesty. Gladio on the other hand, totally lost it. He slammed his fist into the wall causing a large hole!

“Gladio!” warned Clarus. 

Gladio glared at his father, and noisily left the room, slamming the door behind him. Prompto got up immediately and mumbled, “I’ll go be with him.”


	13. Chapter 13

Noctis looked so small and fragile, surrounded by beeping machinery, tubes of all sorts coming out of him. The nurse in charge felt her heart break in two when she first laid her eyes on the Prince upon arrival. He was covered in so much filth. The stench overwhelmed the small room. He had to be cleaned and disinfected before they could begin any surgeries. The risk of infection was too great otherwise. Her primary objective at that time was to get him as clean as possible with the least amount of discomfort. He had shown no signs of awareness.

She filled in a small washbasin with warm water and gently began her task of removing layers upon layers of dried blood, filth and dried up semen from his face and eyes! Using a soft cotton ball she gently wiped at his eyes until his lashes began to show through. Such long dark lashes. Cleaning his face now exposed his skin, which showed clearly just how much he was bruised and swollen. She changed the water in the basin three times before she was satisfied that his face was clean enough. She then used a mild disinfectant made for the skin, thankful that he was unconscious and wouldn’t feel its sting. She lightly washed his lip and inside his mouth, using a soft baby sized toothbrush, trying to remove as much of the built up scum that clung to his gums and teeth. She put an ointment on his eyes and cream on his cracked lips, knowing it would help sooth while he slept.

 

She filled a special vessel with an indented furrow for his neck, so she was able to wash his hair while he was lying down. The amount of grime, dried blood and Gods knows what else he had in his hair started loosening up, as she used a gentle shampoo to wash away as much as she could. The water was a filthy reddish brown when she was done. Not perfectly clean but his hair wasn’t a priority. She mainly did it out of respect for her patient.  
She then meticulously and gently washed each arm, hand, leg and foot. One at a time, being very careful of his numerous cuts, bruises and broken bones. She had to change the water constantly. Washing his chest and neck, she became teary eyed. She just couldn’t believe how much torture this child had endured. It was miraculous that he was still alive! Her motherly instincts wanted to pick him up and hug all his hurts away.

The Doctor helped her when it was time to wash his torso and privates. He gently moved Noctis to his side using the blanket underneath as leverage while she cleaned his shoulders, back, and bottom area as carefully as she could. Once his front was done, they both worked together on disinfecting his numerous wounds. They set his broken finger bones and wrapped them in bandages. They wrapped his ankle in a soft cast. Together they lifted him using the blanket as a sling to deposit him onto a fresh clean bed. She was surprised at just how light he actually was. She removed the dirty sheets from under him. She watched as the assistant came and wheeled the young Prince into the operating room to have a colostomy bag installed. Her work here was done for the moment. She sighed deeply. Her shift was almost over. She sent a silent prayer to the Six. “Please watch over him.”’

 

*** * * * * * * * ******

********

 

When King Regis entered the room where his son was kept, he felt so helpless. Looking down at his son, he seemed so much smaller than he remembered. Even though someone took the time to clean his son, it didn’t hide the horrible bruises on his face. He sat by his son’s bed. His son was hooked to so much equipment to help him survive. He had a feeding tube coming out from his nostril. He had a respirator tube hooked to his mouth. He watched his son’s chest rise and fall as the respirator did its work. He watched and listened to the beeps and dips of the heart monitor. The occasional inflating of the blood pressure monitor. He gently reached for his arm son’s over the bandage. He noticed that there was not a whole lot of skin that was not covered.  
His breath hitched in his throat. “ I’m so sorry Noctis. I’m so sorry I wasn’t able to protect you from this horrifying nightmare. Please forgive me.”  
After an hour, Regis slowly got up out of the chair, leaned over and kissed his son on the forehead. “I love you Noctis. Rest well my son.”


	14. Chapter 14

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for such a short Chapeter. I realized I had let the story end without any closure on Noctis’s abductors. So I inserted this chapter.

Cor and the remaining glaives that were left behind in Gralea, were able to discover more information about the perpetrators responsible for Prince Noctis’s abduction. After numerous false leads and failed attempts, they were finally able catch three of the four culprits. These three men were interrogated and tortured until they began giving up valuable information. They admitted to being thugs for hire by Chancellor Ardyn Izunia of the Niflheim Territories. They told of how they’d been trailing the Prince and his retinue every time he left Insomnia. Catching them in the Diner was sheer coincidence, as the large man happened to have his son that weekend and used him to their advantage. They described how they left with the Regalia and changed vehicles until they were picked up by an airship. Then onto another vehicle that brought them to the abandoned dungeons. They described how they went down the elevator shaft four times a day in turns. The rest of the time, Noctis was left by himself, hundreds of feet below the cold earth. They informed Cor that only Izunia was allowed any sexual torture towards Noctis. They admitted to beating, cutting Tazing and chaining him. Ardyn forced them to abandoning Noctis once they realized that the search was getting close. Not a single man showed any signs of remorse. They actually boasted of being able to abduct the Prince so easily. How he was easily subdued. How he gave up so easily. 

Being in conflict with Insomnia for decades, Ardyn Izunia’s only goal was to break King Regis’ son out of revenge to hurt the King. The three men where sent on to Insomnia where they would face the wrath of King Regis. Unfortunately Chancellor Izunia slipped away from Niflheim and the search for him is still ongoing.


	15. Chapter 15

It had been three long weeks since Noctis’s was placed in an induced coma. The doctor decided his body had healed enough to end it. His lungs were clear; his wounds were almost completely healed. Other than scaring, that would take time to fade, and a few residual light colored bruises. He was filling out a bit. Not as much as being on a food diet, but he didn’t look as skeletal as he did upon arrival.

Not a day went by that Prompto, Ignis or Gladio were not by his side. They spoke softly to him. They shared memories of good times. The numerous successful hunts – and the less successful ones! They all gathered in his room at diner time to share a meal together. They ordered food, or Ignis brought something homemade. They sat around Noctis’s bed and chatted and laughed softly. King Regis always stopped by to get a daily progress report and to chat a bit with the boys and speak soft words of encouragement to his son. 

 

Three days after ending his coma, Noctis had still not showed signs of waking up. He was breathing on his own now however, which was progress, but still needed medical assistance in other areas. The doctor said they could not remove those until Noctis was awake and aware. So they had to wait.

* * * * * * *  


It was Prompto’s turn to be with Noctis. He was sitting by his side, holding his hand, idly playing softly with Noctis’s uninjured fingers. He sensed a change in Noctis’s breathing that had him stand up and lean over Noctis’s face. 

********

“Noct,” he whispered softly. “Can you hear me buddy? Hey it’s me, Prom. Can you open your eyes?” excitement was building in his heart.

Noctis’s eyes began to flutter. Slowly he tried to open them. It was so difficult! It hurt! Too bright! Where was his familiar dark? He moaned.

“Hey, it’s ok buddy. No hurry. Take your time. Just glad that, you know, you’re here. I missed ya!”

Noctis heard the sound of someone speaking. It was too fast. All garbled. He could not understand. He was so tired. He just wanted to sleep. His mind slowly drifted away.

* * * * * * * * 

********

********

Everyone was elated to know that Noctis was finally awake. Well not technically awake yet, but signs of movement that the doctor said were quite encouraging. They doubled their efforts to talk to him. They urged him to wake up. Open his eyes. Noctis faintly heard words, but was afraid. 

“He’s stirring again guys,” said Prompto. It was good timing as King Regis was also in the room. Prompto quickly gave up his chair by the bed to Noctis’s father. 

Holding his son’s hand gently, Regis said, “My son, can you hear me? Open your eyes Noctis. It’s time to wake up now.”

Noctis wanted to obey this command. He felt like he should. He slowly opened his eyes. Everything was blurry. Not as bright as the last time he had tried. He opened and shut them sluggishly to help adjust his vision. It was all still fuzzy. He struggled to focus and a dull pain was felt above his eyelids. He saw a figure in front of him. It was a man. He didn’t recognize him. Noctis’s face showed confusion and distress. Regis noticed. He signaled to Ignis to alert the nurse. 

A few moments later the nurse entered. She observed Noctis for a few moments in silence. Speaking softy she addressed him, letting him know what she was doing at each action. She took his blood pressure, and listened to his heart with her stethoscope. She gently urged him to open his mouth to take his temperature. At this command, Noctis froze in terror. His weak arms tried to push an invisible object away. He opened his mouth to scream but only a ragged wail escaped. Tears spilled over his cheeks. He showed extreme signs of agitation. His heart was beating rapidly through his chest. He was panting in fear, eyes wide and unseeing. The nurse tried her best to calm him with soothing words.

King Regis and the boys stood by feeling helpless. After a seemingly endless stretch of time, Noctis eventually calmed down, and seemed to fall back into a deep sleep. His eyelashes were still wet with unshed tears; his face was flushed and sweaty. The nurse wiped him down gently with a wet cloth while continuing to murmur soothing words.

“What happened?” asked a visibly upset Regis. 

“Most patients show signs of confusion after waking from a coma. It will take some time and all he needs right now is patience, your Majesty. Speak softly around him but keep encouraging him.” she assured them.

“How long will it take?” asks the King.

“’Each patient is different your Majesty. Only his Highness knows. He has been through a lot. Healing a body is hard enough. Healing a mind is much more complex and delicate. Keep doing what you already are doing. It will help him enormously if he feels your love. I’ll leave you then. Call me if you need anything,” she said softly and as she left the room.

* * * * * * * *  


Noctis was dreaming. He was in a room somewhere. All lit up with bright lights. He could see people there, around him. He saw their mouths moving but heard no sound. He thought some of them looked familiar, but was uncertain. He felt warm. Warm was nice. Better than the cold! He remembered the cold. The room started becoming colder. The people started to disappear. The room got darker and colder. He whimpered. In his ear, he heard… The Voice. One word. “Boy.” He screamed. But he knew enough not to speak. He was terrified. It was starting again. He never got away. It was all just a dream. 

********

********

Someone was saying something to him. Telling him it was okay. ‘What’s okay?’ He thought, confused. A soft soothing voice lulled him back to sleep.

“Wow,” said Prompto to Ignis. They were both alone with Noctis when he began thrashing in the bed, clearly in the throws of a terrible nightmare. “Poor little guy. I wish I could do something more for him, ya know?”

“Yes, I too wish the same. But we are here for him now, and that’s important.” They both continued to watch Noctis as he slept fitfully.

* * * * * * * *  
Noctis woke up more frequently now but he still showed no signs of recognizing his father or his friends. The Doctor said this was Trauma Induced Amnesia. He also remained quiet. He had been out of the coma for five days now and hadn’t uttered a word. Not even to the nurse. He just silently followed everyone’s movements with his large blue eyes. He startled easily, like a scared rabbit. He had started to eat however, so his medical aids had been removed slowly. In a few days, he would start physiotherapy to rebuild his wasted muscle. All this was explained to him and he only nodded to show his understanding.

********

********

He dreamed a lot. Always about nice warm people who then turned into dark monsters! He whimpered while he slept. Dark circles began to show telltale signs of his lack of restful sleep. The Doctor gave him a mild sedative at night to help him rest. This seemed to help him enormously and he began looking livelier during the day.


	16. Chapter 16

In time, his dreams started setting off his memories. He dreamed of a blond haired boy! They were sitting on a sofa. They were each holding a phone. Playing some sort of game. Laughing! Teasing and poking each other! The blond haired boy made Noctis feel warm and safe. He knew him! When Noctis woke up from his dream the object of his dream was sitting on a chair by his bed. 

When he noticed Noctis wake up, he got up and gently said, 

“Hey Noct. You’re awake! Nice to see those blue eyes dude.”

For the first time in a very long time, Noctis smiled and looked at Prompto in recognition. 

“P-p-p,” he softly tried to say Prompto’s name but only soft puffs of air passed through his lips!

It was enough for Prompto though! “ That’s right buddy, its me, Prom. Your best bud! Hey you can never forget me right?” He squeezed Noctis’s hand felt Noctis squeeze back, ever so slightly! Prompto was so elated he was jumping from foot to foot. He stopped in concern when he saw Noctis reach for his throat, questioningly.

“Yeah I know Noct,” said Prompto softy. “The Doc says you need a bit of therapy to get your voice back.” Noct grimaced when he heard the word “Voice”, and Prompto misinterpreted it as impatience.  
“Aw man, I’m gonna call the others and let them know you’re starting to remember, that ok buddy?” Noctis simply nodded.

In no time the room seemed to be filled with so many people. Noctis realized he knew them. He was just slightly overwhelmed at the moment. When King Regis entered the room and his eyes met his son’s, the world stopped for a few seconds. Noctis’s eyes filled with tears and he groaned out “daaa” Regis gathered his son in his arms and cradled him there. The boys quietly left the room to give father and son some alone time. They stayed that way for a very long time. Regis sensed his son’s need for his father’s comfort. His eyes were moist with love for his son. No words were said. None were needed. Not right now. Just the comfort of loving arms, to mend the pieces of a broken little boy!

 

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********

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After five weeks of intense physiotherapy, Noctis was walking around quite well without the need of having someone always by his side. His speech therapy had also helped to strengthen his voice. His voice was still slightly hoarse and hesitant, and he still only seemed to answer when spoken to first. This was a little puzzling to Noctis’s father and friends, but when Noctis was ready and willing he would let them know.

 

*** * * * * * * * **  
****

It was now time for Noctis to be released from the hospital and go back home. He was excited to be returning to familiar surroundings. Before his release however, the doctor gave him the name of a Psychiatrist, Dr. Brennan, who would keep him on antidepressants and would see him weekly, in the hopes that having someone to talk to would help release the psychological trauma that Noctis had been subjected to. 

He bid the Doctors and wonderful nurses farewell and leaned against his father, as he was led to the car. It all felt so surreal to Noctis. It felt like he hadn’t been part of the real world in ages. When he finally arrived at the Citadel and he was situated in his bedchambers, surrounded by his loved ones, tears filled his eyes and he looked at his father and friends. 

“Are you alright son?” asked King Regis upon seeing his son so emotional.

“Thanks’ for everything. Saving me. Helping me get better. Staying by my side. Not giving up. You guys are the best!

Everyone surrounded Noctis in a group hug, not a dry eye in the group.

 

* * *

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Kudos and comments are really appreciated.
> 
> I hope you liked my story.

**Author's Note:**

> I hope you enjoyed my story and choose to continue with part 2.  
> Aftermath continues if you want to know how Noctis fares psychologically. It’s rough...
> 
> Comments and Kudos truly make me smile and feel like my story was enjoyed.
> 
> Thank you for using your precious time to read my work.


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